DCTRA

Archive for October, 2009

Absentee/Early Ballot will be added when nominations close following the December Meeting

The Brunch for the Election of 2010 Officers will take place at 11am on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at the Sierra Bonita Grill located at the SE Corner of 7th Street and Glendale in Phoenix.  See map below the menu selection / description.

If you are unable to attend the Annual Election Meeting and would like to cast a ballot, or just want to cast an early ballot feel free to do so.  On-line balloting will close at 9am on 1/16/2010.

Ballot was here

Unlike in years past we will not be limited to a short list of menu items to select from.  Rather we can order from the menu.  For details on the menu items see their descriptions below the order form.

Please pick the item(s) that you want from either/or the Appetizers, Brunch or Lunch Menu.  Do this for yourself and any guests that will be attending with you.

Please total your order.  The Club will collect a check from you for your meal(s) and then Club in turn will write a single check for the Event.

Note that the Seasonal Muffin changes week-to-week and of course the “Catch of the Day” will be what ever is being offered on 1/16.  The description for those items shown below is just what was on the menu the week that this selection form was created.

Deadline for Menu selections is 1/13/2010 so that we may expedite service at the event.

The plan will be that when you arrive that morning (plan on being there by 11am) we will have a card for you to place on your table to assist the wait staff in meal distribution.  We are planning on meal service beginning at 11:15am.

Order form “was” here”

Appetisers

Agua Fresca of the Day
Pineapple

Daily Drink Special
Miche Rojo

Mofford’s Seasonal Muffin
Baked fresh in our kitchen each morning. Strawberry

Green Corn Tamale
With manchego cheese and salsa fresca and hatch green chile sauce with bacon.

Mini Quesadillas
Corn tortillas with mexican menonita cheese, spinach and huitlacoche. served with Oaxacan salsa, Indian salsa and marinated cabbage

Guacamole
Made fresh daily in our molcajete. Served with tortilla chips and three salsas.

Enchilada Suizas
Corn tortillas with chicken, tomatillo sauce, menonita cheese, onions, crema and cilantro.

Green Chile Pozole
Tender pieces of pork and hominy in a green chile broth. Topped with shredded cabbage, onions and cilantro.

Azteca Soup
Spicy chipotle chile broth with chicken, avocado, cilantro, queso panela, lime and crispy corn tortilla strips.

Baked Chilaquiles
Tortilla casserole with manchego cheese, tomatillo sauce and indian salsa. Served with a side of scrambled eggs.

Huevos Rancheros
Fried eggs over a crispy corn tortilla with a tomato-chile sauce and refried beans. Served with roasted root vegetable hash and guacamole.

Southwestern Benedict
Poached eggs atop green chile beer biscuits with cure 81 ham, roasted poblano hollandaise and roasted root vegetable hash.

Verde Vaqueros
Green chile beer biscuits with Shreiners southwest sausage gravy. Served with a side of scrambled eggs and smoked bacon strips.

Vegetable Omelette
Three eggs filled with asparagus, baby spinach, roasted peppers, jalapeno jack cheese and calabacitas. Topped with oaxacan salsa and served with a side of roasted root vegetable hash.

Atole Pinon Hotcakes
Griddled blue corn masa and pinenuts topped with blueberry butter

Breakfast Enchiladas
Scrambled eggs, carne asada, chorizo and manchego cheese in corn tortillas and topped with a guajillo chile sauce. Served with a side of charro beans.

Huevos Motulenos
Two fried eggs over a crispy tortilla shell with refried beans and cure 81 ham. Topped with hatch green chile sauce and served with a cinnamon glazed banana.

Steak and Eggs
Wood grilled 5 oz. Prime flat iron steak with two eggs and roasted root vegetable hash.

Cowboy Hash
Roasted root vegetables tossed with Shreiners linguisa sausage and chorizo. Topped with fried eggs, salsa verde and indian relish.

Stacked Chicken Enchiladas
Blue and yellow corn tortillas, menonita cheese, charro beans, hatch green chile sauce and salsa fresca. Topped with a fried egg.

Sierra Bonita Salad
House salad mix with, raspberries, Gorgonzola cheese, tomatoes, spiced pecans, red onions and balsamic vinaigrette

Grilled Mahi Tacos
Coriander crusted Mahi Mahi, chipotle lime aioli and marinated cabbage with indian salsa and queso fresco

**Carne Asada Tacos
Marinated carne asada with shredded cabbage, salsa fresca, pesto mayonnaise, panela cheese and cilantro.

Wood Grilled Burger
1/2 pound of fresh ground chuck, with lettuce, onion and vine ripened tomato.

Catch of the Day
Wood grilled grouper served with Schreiner’s linguisa sausage and potato hash, asparagus spears and chiptole hollandaise sauce.

Photo’s from Gene Glenn taken at Triumphest 2009 Read the rest of this entry »

This are photos from Jim Bauder’s extended trip from Arizona to Portland to California and back!

Read the rest of this entry »

As many of you know, I have been around the Triumph club since I was about five years old. I have always loved everything Triumph and enjoyed every minute of club events with my dad and his TR6. Well, finally for my 17th birthday, I got my own! My dad and I brought home a 1970 TR6 that had been sitting on the side of a house in Tempe for about 15 years. The car was infested with spiders and the hood was stuck but it had no rust! The previous owner had parked it with a hardtop on it which saved the car. After a few cans of Raid we were able to start taking it apart.

I spent the weekends taking parts off and throwing them aside, not thinking about ever needing to remember how they went back on.

After about a month, parts filled up the garage and we weren’t even halfway done taking it apart. For the most part, parts seemed to fly off of the car. There were a few difficulties that we had like taking out the windshield frame. It had welded itself in after being in there 30+ years. My dad and I tried everything from a gallon of Kroil to heat and finally we needed to cut the brackets off with a dremel.

 A few months went by and we found out just how much space a car takes up when it has been disassembled. After the car had been taken apart we found out that we needed a couple of fenders, a hood and a trunk lid. Luckily we had been prepared and bought a donor car, a TR6 from Germany which was in pretty good shape. I also needed to replace my rocker panel which the previous owner had caved in on a curb. So, the first step of putting my car back together was welding the new rocker panel in place. Then it looked to be a sad excuse for a car as it was towed to get blasted and painted. For two months I was without my car. It felt weird not having anything to do on the weekends.

The car wasn’t completely gone because you still couldn’t walk through the garage without tripping over parts.

Finally after two months we towed the car back and it looked so good I was afraid to touch it. We got home with the fenders and hood off of the car and realized that we had no place to keep them safe. So, to my mom’s surprise they came in the house and were put in my room where they couldn’t be scratched. Then, finally, assembly began.

We rebuilt the suspension front and rear, replaced u-joints, differential bushings, and steering rack bushings, etc. With a little help from Gene, we got my engine in with my Toyota 5-speed. I got all my fenders on and then the hard part began. We had to rewire the car with Dan Masters wiring harness.

After a few months and countless arguments we were able to get through it and hook up the battery, only to find out that only a few things worked. After a few hours of sourcing possible problems we found that little kill switch we installed with the kit. We flipped it and it was like magic. Everything worked and worked well. The lights were bright and worked just as they should have. After some preparation we even got the engine started. Following that we had millions of small things to do.

Finally about a month later it was time for my first test run. I took the car on a breakfast run and it ran great. I had a blast driving it even if it had only one seat and no carpet. The next month was spent on the interior in preparation for the BEAT.

To my surprise, installing carpet and panels was not as bad as I had thought. We finished the interior and top the weekend before the BEAT and I was ready.

My dad suggested that I drive it to work the week before to make sure that everything was ok. Well, sure enough that Tuesday while out on lunch, driving about 45mph, I heard a bang and the whole car started shaking. I called my dad out to get me and the whole time I was thinking about how my weekend will be ruined. We got the car towed home and found out that a u-joint cap had fallen out of a u-joint in the driveshaft. We had it fixed in two hours and even drove the car to the club meeting that night. That weekend I went on the BEAT had a great time. The car made it the whole way with no problems! It really is a great car and I’m having so much fun driving it. I plan on taking it to as many shows as I can including the All Triumph Drive In this August in Oregon. I will also be at Triumphest 2009 in October which should be a lot of fun.

I was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee . One of our neighbors was Harold Coker who owned Coker Tire. Robert K. Smith (DCTRA member in Hawaii) was raised about a mile away and was also probably influenced by Mr. Coker and the old cars in the area

Mr. Coker restored old cars in his basement evenings and weekends and as a teenager I would go over there, watch, help some and ask questions. He was helpful, gave me sound advise and encouraged my interest in old cars. His influence may be the reason that I enjoy working, rebuilding and restoring neat old cars. My parents did their best to discourage my interest in cars. I worked after school and weekends to earn money to buy cars. I bought my first car at 14 with the help of my next door neighbor who was 16, I had the money and he had a license. He knew how bad I wanted a car and I received my first lesson on partnerships. The car was a 1927 Willys-Knight, it ran but the body was junk, so we stripped off the body, painted it with a brush and built a speedster. Every car that I could afford to buy was distressed merchandise, needing everything to be rebuilt or redone, mainly 55 Chevys and old Fords.

I joined the Air Force in 1966, left home to see the World. While stationed in Idaho I married my wife Sandy (she liked cars and was cute) and we were then sent to Germany for 2 years. While stationed in Germany our son Bill was born and I discovered sports cars, mainly 356 Porsches.

After being honorably discharged from the military in 1970 we moved back to Chattanooga. I became a banker and went into the real estate business. I started collecting old sports cars and had several race cars and was involved with the local SCCA club.

In 1978 we decided to move to Mesa, Az. and start a business, Unique Motorcars, building the first A.C.Cobra replicas. In 1980 we sold the business to some people who moved the company to Alabama and who are still making the Cobra replicas. In 1984 we moved back to Chattanooga and I had an idea to build a Ferrari GTO replica utilizing a Datsun 240Z chassis. I started building the cars and then our daughter Jayme became seriously ill. I sold the business, and we were just about broke. So, we moved back to Mesa and I went and got a real job with Keith Riggs Plumbing managing their fleet of trucks. I worked for the Riggs family for 20 years. That real job made it possible for us to get back on our feet. We bought old rental property and made it possible to get back into sports car racing.

In 1988 I met a local Alfa Romeo mechanic, Bruce Begley, Arizona Twin Cam, and with his help building motors and racing transmissions, we raced Alfa GTVs in vintage racing. Our cars were very competitive but most of the races were in California and the travel was expensive. I decided to race with SCCA locally. I built a Mazda RX-3 and then built several RX-7s. I have a 944 Porsche race car currently that my son raced. My old racing buddy, Roy Stoney of Coventry Motors tried for 20 years to get me to buy and race a Triumph. I am sorry Roy that I waited so long. Dave Riddle and Stu Lasswell finally convinced me to buy a white TR-3A that I still own (editor: to which he has added the red and black/green TR3s). I was really surprised at the performance, but it needed a fifth gear and better steering. I decided to build a 5 speed transmission conversion by building my own bell housing and using as many Triumph parts as possible. My transmission conversion has been in my car for 3 years now without a problem. I also built a rack and pinion steering conversion for TR-3s that makes the car feel like it has power steering.

My wife Sandy has tolerated and supported (most of the time) my addiction to cars for 42 years and I love her for it. Being involved with cars has given us the opportunity to travel to different parts of the country and make lots of friends along the way. I hope they have cars in heaven.

I HAVE A BAD FEELING
IN THE PIT OF MY WALLET

 This is a story not unlike many other stories told by Triumph owners.

So you ask, how did I get exposed to the Triumph automobile? For approximately three years a Triumph was left at my home for care, maintenance and restoration; during that time I observed the metamorphous of a non-running car to a car that performed as well as most of the cars in the local Triumph club.

I joined in for club events and had the privilege of meeting a group of people who share a common interest, the Triumph. This club (DCTRA) has members willing to share their knowledge and experience as owners and caretakers of the Triumph automobile. Equally important is the fact that these are just really nice people to be around.

I decided I wanted to not just ride along in a Triumph, but I wanted a car I could drive, that seemed to be the real fun! So the search began. Not only was I looking for a car, I talked several club members into helping me in my search. One of the club members found two local Triumphs for sale. Armed with an evaluation tool, (list of things to identify and think about when considering the purchase of a TR) developed by an acquaintance in England, who is a Triumph restoration specialist, I thought I was fairly well prepared to select a car. After seeing the cars I wasn’t so confident of my decision so I coerced two club members into assessing the cars for me. As it turned out my choice wasn’t the better of the two cars. In February 2009 I purchased the running 1965 TR4A recommended by my friends.

The car was serviced and it was running so well I invested in cosmetic improvements and it was readied for its maiden voyage, the 2009 British European Auto Tour. I picked the car up and on the seven (7) mile drive to the detail shop it blew a head gasket.

This is where the real, serious money spending started. The engine block had to be replaced, total engine re-build. I decided since the car’s apart it’s the perfect time to replace the transmission, so why not do a five-speed conversion as well. After six (6) months in the garage the car went for its test ride Saturday, September 12th, 2009 and back to the garage for minor “tweaking” the week of September 14th.

Parts repaired, renovated, added or replaced include the engine, transmission, headlights, tail lights, horns, radio, fuel system, water pump, belts, hoses, electric fan, wheels, tires, seat belts, interior heat shield, sound deafening materials, seats, steering rack, top, carpet, visors, dash, steering wheel, handles, locks, mirrors, hardware, trunk interior, luggage rack just to name a few.

Is the car finished? Of course not!

Although there is a bad feeling in the pit of my wallet there is a heightened sense of joy in my life. There has been excitement and apprehension watching a car that needed the ability, experience and knowledge of true craftsmen and car enthusiast be converted into a vehicle that has the promise of years of driving time and fun. By far the greater reward is the friendships that have developed during this car’s restoration and the friendships yet to come through Triumph events.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I’d like to thank the following people for sharing their knowledge of the Triumph and how to replace, repair and/or restore this vehicle. Without their talent, ability and experience this 1965 TR4A car owner would not have a performing automobile today.

Robert (English Bawb) Branton
British Master Mechanic & Auto Electrician
CLASSIC AUTO RESTORATION SERVICES (C.A.R.S.)
2742 E. Bell Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85032
623.824.3777

Darryl Uprichard
RACETORATIONS
Gainsborough Lincolnshire, England

Randall S. Keller
PRESTIGE AUTOWOOD
1828 Stone Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125
408.288.8737

DCTRA Members:
Jim Bauder
Bill Close
John Reynolds
Dave Riddle

Special thanks to my grandson, Tim Titus, for all of his help and his willingness to participate in any task or adventure that came his way during the last 6 months of work on the Triumph.

Info and registration here: TFest 2009

Check the most recent Newsletter Calender to confirm date, place and time.

Traditionally the Breakfast Run meets at 7 AM at the Northwest Corner of 32nd St. and Shea

DCTRA Regular meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of the Month.  See the Meeting Page for details and directions